Blount County Sheriff James Lee Berrong said the Sheriff's Office is investigating an incident that occurred at William Blount High School Tuesday night involving a 12-year-old girl.

Shortly before 8 p.m. Tueday, the Sheriff's Office responded to William Blount High School to the call of an assault. When they arrived, deputies spoke to a 12-year-old girl who stated she was in a stairwell by the gymnasium when a white male in his early to mid 30s grabbed her and attempted to take her down the stairs. The girl told deputies she punched the man in the nose, and he ran down the stairs. She said the man ran out of the school and got into the passenger side of a black sedan driven by a black male. The girl's hand was injured in the incident.

The suspect is described as a white male in his early to mid 30s, 5 feet 8 to 5 feet 10 inches in height, short brown hair, average build, wearing a gray sweatshirt and blue jeans.

The Sheriff's Office is investigating the incident. Anyone with any information regarding this incident, or saw anything suspicious at William Blount High School last night, is asked to call the Sheriff's Office Crime Hotline at (865)273-5200, or leave the information on the Text-a-Tip link on the Sheriff's Office website at www.bcso.com.